Poor arrangements at exam centres cause difficulties to O and A-Level students

Lack of parking facilities in and around the exam centres in scorching heat an added problem

KARACHI:

More than 40,000 students, appearing in the O and A-Level exams faced serious problems in reaching their allocated centres which have been established in small schools and colleges located in narrow lanes in the city.

Non-availability of parking facilities in and around the examination centres in the scorching heat was an added problem, the families who had gone to drop their children at the centres, faced.

Moreover, the worst traffic congestion near examination centers added more to the difficulties for students and their parents. The situation shows that arrangements were made in an unorganised and haphazard manner with no proper planning.

Earlier, O and A Level examinations were organised in well-known private hotels of the city in a calm and peaceful environment with availability of all necessary facilities. But this year the situation is totally opposite.

Administrative failure is also proved with the fact that exam centres were set up in a way that students residing in Gulshan were made to appear in exams at Korangi centre.

In this regard, a spokesperson for Cambridge, while talking to The Express Tribune, said that the work is going on with the British Council to keep the exams transparent so that the students can take the exams in a safe and tension-free environment.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Shah Rukh, Head of British Council South Asia Communication and Marketing, said, "We have established examination centres ensuring uninterrupted provision of facilities so that students come up with the best in their exams."

He said, the schedule of examination centres is released in advance. "We are issuing instructions to our team to address the parking complaints so that students do not face any problem."

A British Council spokesperson said: "We carefully select our venues so that candidates can take their exams in a safe, secure and compliant way."

He said that in the venue letter shared in advance with the candidate, the section highlighted ‘instructions for parents and teachers’ clearly stated that there is no designated parking or waiting area at the exam venue so parents must follow a pick-up and drop-off policy.

"In addition, our ‘before exam day’ checklist in the letter advises that parents and guardians pay an advance visit to the venue before the exam to familiarise themselves with the location, local traffic and pick up /drop off point to avoid stress on the day," he added.

He further said the British Council aims to ensure that every candidate is treated fairly and objectively and given optimum conditions to take their exams.

Out of 40,000 students, appearing in Cambridge exams this year in Karachi, about 6,000 are private candidates. In this context, around 20 examination centres have been established across the city.

Around 100,000 students from all over the country are appearing in Cambridge exams in 2024 session while around 15,000 are participating in the exams as private candidates. In this regard a total of 100 examination centres have been set up across the country.

Pakistan Studies, Islamiat, Mathematics, English and Urdu are important subjects in Cambridge O-Level, while in the A-Level, Physics, Mathematics, Business, Chemistry and Computer Science are important subjects.

Around 800 schools across Pakistan are connected to the Cambridge system, including 200 schools in Karachi. The O and A-Level exams will continue till June 13.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 30^th, 2024.